TAKING THE LEAD
“I WAS AT A WEDDING ONCE, DANCING MY HEART OUT, AND THIS PERSON SAID TO ME ‘DON’T BE TOO CAMP, DON’T BE TOO GAY’”
Sequins. Skin-tight outfits. Lashings of fake tan. Craig Revel Horwood. The only thing that could possibly make Strictly Come Dancing any gayer is if they replaced the sought-after Glitterball trophy with a bejewelled dildo. Which we really suggest they do, as the winners would know exactly where to put it…
Anyhow, the much-loved BBC series finally moved with the times in 2020 when it inducted Olympic boxer Nicola Adams as one half of its first same-sex female pairing, only for her to be knocked out of the competition prematurely when her dance partner Katya Jones caught COVID. Now, a year later, Auntie is feeling her oats once again, giving us homos what we’ve been hungry for, the show’s cherry-popping allmale coupling, former Great British Bake Off champ John Whaite and professional Johannes Radebe. To quote Craig: fab-u-lous.
For all of Strictly’s fun, froth and frivolity, there is no denying the power of seeing two loud and proud gay men taking up space on one of television’s biggest primetime shows. It is a milestone, history-making moment that is long overdue – especially having endured the sight of Ann Widdecombe being dragged around the dance floor in 2010 – but it is no surprise to learn that John, 32, and Johannes, 34, were initially hesitant about tripping the light fantastic together. After all, Johannes had already felt the heat from homophobes in 2019 following his routine with fellow pro Graziano di Prima, which received more than 200 Ofcom complaints. Thankfully, the pair put their reservations aside and decided to take their (ahem) cha-cha-chances.
The bond between John, from Wigan, and Johannes – who grew up in South Africa – is clear to see (they constantly refer to each other as “babe” and “darling”) when they take a break from training to attend their Attitude cover shoot. Here, Johannes gets into hold and interviews John as the duo reflect on the journey, their personal battles in life – from John’s struggles with bulimia, to Johannes’s public comingout – and why they’re ignoring the haters and shaking their stuff for the Black and LGBTQ+ communities.
